Telecoms bills grab consumer attention says UK Royal Mail research

New research conducted for Royal Mail by the Henley Centre(1) shows consumers respond positively to marketing messages that accompany their phone bills.

The survey was created to look into consumer reactions to paper based communications with their telecoms providers, and has indicated a high level of consumer satisfaction with these organisations.

This level of satisfaction may be crucial to the way consumers perceive the marketing messages they receive with this paper correspondence. There was a high level of responsiveness to inserts and messages that were received in the same envelope as statements and bills including:

48% glance at inserts they receive with statements or bills 23% have acted on marketing material they have received in this way such as applying for a product 18% keep inserts they`re interested in

Personalisation was also an important factor, with 88% of consumers preferring to deal with companies that treat them with a personal touch, which may make them more responsive to marketing messages they receive with personal communications.

In addition, the report found that whilst 68% pay their phone bills online, 40 per cent receive so many emails they don`t have time to read them all.

Instead, many prefer receiving paper statements to not only help them manage their finances but also because according to two-thirds of respondents, `it is more secure to receive confidential information by post rather than via email or online`.

Tim Rivett, head of small business and consumer markets at Royal Mail comments:

“Statements and bills have always been an important method of communication between telecoms providers and their customers. With the increased use of call centres by telecoms providers, paper bills and statements remain close to consumers` hearts, and are increasingly perceived as a form of personal contact. This need for personalised communication can be positively utilised by marketers, helping them to get through to consumers by `piggy-backing` their messages with bills and statements, to achieve a high level of standout and recognition against other direct mail.”

Dr Richard Harper, Director of Digital World Research, comments:

“People readily use e-mail in the office – it`s quick and easy to use, and people are sitting by their screens. But for use in the home, it is difficult to see how email can replace paper mail completely, as the research shows printed statements play an important role in a household`s financial management.”